Accountant

Summary

This position is located in the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation (FCSIC), Financial Management Division (FMD), in McLean, Virginia. Serves as a Senior Accountant and reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). FCSIC utilizes a shared service provider to support financial reporting.

Duties

Supports the financial management and insurance fund operations of FCSIC, including accounting and financial reporting, internal control evaluation and administration, data analysis, investment and premium-related activities, and special projects. Reviews and analyzes financial data; assists with the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports; ensures compliance with applicable federal laws, regulations, policies, and standards; and contributes to the development and documentation of policies and procedures. Major duties include things such as:

• Reviews and evaluates financial data and transactions recorded in the financial management system, including posting entries and reconciliations of cash, investments, premium receivables, and other accounts.
• Assists with the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and related reports, including FCSIC's Annual Report, government-wide and regulatory reporting such as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) data requests and year-end audited financial statements.
• Analyzes trends in insurance obligations, Insurance Fund percentages, and projected investment income; coordinates with Farm Credit System (FCS) banks or Associations to obtain data or communicate information; and projects insurance premium assessments to FCS banks.
• Drafts and updates policies, procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), Board materials, and other written reports and documents related to financial management, internal controls, and program operations.
• Performs internal control risk assessments for FCSIC operations and the control environment pursuant to the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA) and other relevant guidance.
• Assists in the administration of the travel system, including routing changes, assigning proper accounting codes, and responding to employee inquiries; makes, allocates and reviews purchase card transactions.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary or trial period.
• Submission of a financial disclosure report may be required.
• Resume and supporting documents (See How to Apply)

Qualifications

Basic Requirements

1. Degree: accounting; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting. The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law. (The term "accounting" means "accounting and/or auditing" in this standard. Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor.")OR
2. Combination of education and experience: at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge. The applicant's background must also include one of the following:
   1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
   2. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
   3. Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement of paragraph A, provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in paragraph A; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experiencefully meet the specified requirements.

• Preparing or contributing to audited financial statements and an annual report, including month end and year end close, account reconciliations, variance analysis, and drafting or reviewing disclosures.
• Maintaining and reconciling the general ledger in an enterprise accounting system, preparing journal entries (including accruals and adjustments), resolving abnormal balances, and clearing reconciling items promptly.
• Designing, documenting, and testing internal controls over financial reporting; summarizing results; and supporting corrective actions to remediate control deficiencies. Performing evaluations and risk assessments over financial reporting processes using a recognized internal control framework such as the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations Internal Control-Integrated Framework.
• Preparing audit requests, schedules/support and responding to auditor inquiries through fieldwork and closing.
• Drafting clear accounting procedures or policy memos and communicating complex financial topics to non accountants to support decision-making.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: College Accreditation | U.S. Department of Education

Additional information

• Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• This announcement may be used to fill similar vacancies.
• Applicants are encouraged to apply to all band/grade levels for which believe they are qualified for and wish to receive consideration.
• If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service. For more information visit: https://www.sss.gov/verify/. Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.
• To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
• All FCSIC employees are subject to the conflict of interest laws and Standards of Ethical Conduct imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.
• FCSIC's supplemental ethics regulations restrict certain employee's concerning their direct or indirect interests in, or connections with, Farm Credit System institutions. These rules also require all employees to obtain approval for outside employment or business activities. Please contact the HR Division for additional information on these rules.
• FCSIC uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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